Diamond – AllAfrica reported that Tanzania's Williamson diamond mine, which is majority owned by Petra Diamonds Ltd. (LSE:PDL), has a potential mine life of over 50 years, although the current mine plan only accounts for 18 years.
Copper mining has been taking place in Africa for thousands of years and still occurs today. Here's a look at three companies that are currently mining the red metal on the continent.
Iron – Xinhua reports that Wuhan Iron and Steel Group expects to bring its iron ore project in Liberia online before the end of the first half of this year.
Today, the UK's Serious Fraud Office launched a criminal investigation into Eurasian Natural Resources, which faces allegations of corruption regarding its Kazakhstan and African businesses.
Iron – Bloomberg reported that Guinea’s former mines minister Mahmoud Thiam said the Rio Tinto Group will probably not develop its $10 billion iron ore project in Simandou in the near future as Guinea struggles to finance transport links.
Uranium – Reuters reported that Iran’s president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visited uranium-producing Niger on Monday as part of its aim to deepen its ties with Africa.
Zinc – Why is Africa the only inhabited continent in the world without a major zinc-producing nation?
Rare Earth – An Australia-based rare earth junior is making impressive progress in its aims to fast track the development of its Tanzanian flagship project.
Gas – The US Geological Survey estimates that the coastal areas of Mozambique and Tanzania could hold more than 250 trillion cubic feet of gas. After decades of being overshadowed by other gas-rich areas, this Southern African nation is proving a rich hunting ground for natural gas exploration.
Iron – Bloomberg reported that the government of Guinea said it is making progress on a deal to share investment in Rio Tinto’s $10B iron ore project, Simandou, which is likely the biggest undeveloped iron ore deposit in the world.
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